Several meiosis activation substances (hereinafter designated MAS) are known. When MAS are kept in a medium containing oocytes, the oocytes become more prone to fertilisation. However, a major problem with the use of MAS is that, usually, they have a very low solubility and low chemical stability under the conditions at which they are to be stored and used.
The object of this invention is to overcome or ameliorate at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art. Hence, not all the more detailed objects mentioned below may be fully overcome or ameliorated.
One object of this invention is to develop a composition containing MAS or a derivative thereof that can be dissolved in an aqueous medium in a sufficient concentration to be used for IVF or IVM.
Another object is to develop a composition containing MAS or a derivative thereof which can be dissolved in an aqueous medium without any physical influence such as heating, stirring, or ultrasound treatment.
A third object is to develop a composition containing MAS or a derivative thereof which has a sufficient chemical and physical stability at the conditions under which it is stored and used.
The solubility of a preferred MAS, i.e., FF-MAS, in water is very low, i.e., approximately 20 picogram/ml (corresponding to 2×10−5 μg/ml). In ethanol, the solubility of FF-MAS is substantially higher, i.e., approximately 12 mg/ml. According to our preliminary investigations, the highest solubility of FF-MAS in a mixture of ethanol and water (1:2.5) is approximately 0.4 mg/ml. Several other MASs have a similar low solubility in water.